Clothes-pin-slotting machine.



No. 767,447. PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904. A. SMITH. CLOTHES PIN SLOTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 1707.18, 1903- N0 MODEL.

Mai/7 5565 ,1 MM

Patented August 16, 1904.

ATENT (l rrrcno ANDREIV SMITH, OF TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN.

CLOTH ES-PIN-SLOTTING MACHINE;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,447, dated August 16, 1904.

Application filed November 18, 1903. Serial No. 181,674. (No model.)

To all 1071 0121 it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Traverse City, in the county of Grand Traverse and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Pin-Slotting Machines; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear. and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a novel construction in a clothes-pin-slotting machine, the objcct being to provide a simple and eflicient machine of this character which operates at great rapidity; and it consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts.

hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a slotting-machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section of same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

My said machine comprises a frame 1, at the upper and lower ends of which sprocketwheels 2 and 3 are revolubly mounted, over which a sprocket chain 4 is trained, said sprocket-chain being provided with clamping devices and adapted to receive and hold the clothes-pin blanks and carry same to a slotting-saw 5, as hereinafter more specifically described.

My present machine is designed to slot square clothes-pins made in accordance with my invention, as illustrated in my pending application for Letters Patent, filed May 11, 1903, Serial No. 156,707, allowed June 19, 1903, and also illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of an application for Letters Patent on a clothes-pin, filed simultaneously herewith. The said square clothes-pins are slotted diagonally, and to this end the blanks must be presented diagonally to the slotting-saw 5. To accomplish this, I secure to each link of the chain 4 a block 6, said blocks being relatively so arranged that during the period of travel from one sprocket-wheel to the other said blocks are held in contact with each other,

and as the chain passes over said wheels said blocks are separated and brought together again. In each of the meeting-faces of said blocks 6 I provide a V-shaped groove 7, adapted to receive two sides of the blank, the latter being thus carried so as to present a cornerto the slotting-saw 5. The said blanks are fed to said machine through a vertical chute 8 at the upper end of the machine and fall consecutively upon two guides 9, between which the blocks 6 pass as they travel over the upper sprocket-wheel 2, said blanks being slightly longer than said blocks. Each blank as it rests upon said guides 9 is carried along by a block 6, which simultaneously prevents the dropping of another blank until it has passed the mouth of said chute 8. As they pass the mouth of said chute 8 said blocks 6 are 4 widely separated and cannot clamp said blanks, nor are the latter in position to be clamped thereby, it being necessary to turn same through an arc of forty-five degrees in order to be clamped diagonally between said blocks. To this end the free ends 10 of said guides 9 are curved downwardly eccentric to the axis of rotation of said sprocket-wheel 2 and through an arc of'substantially forty-five degrees, so that as said blanks pass over said free ends they are partially turned and in dropping from said guides will enter the groove?' in the rear face of the next lower block 6 in proper position. As the block 6, following the blank, passes the sprocket-wheel 2, the groove 7 in the front face of same will receive the rear corner of the blank, and the latter will thus be firmly clamped between said blocks. In passing from said sprocket-wheel 2 to the sprocket-wheel 3 the blanks are slotted by said saw 5, which is located in their path, and to positively determine the position of said blanks relatively to said saw 5 I provide an adjustable guide-plate 11 inwardly of said chain, over which the links thereof slide, and an adjustable guide member 12, adapted to receive the pressure of the blocks 6, said guide members being adapted to cause the chain and blocks to travel in a given line determined by the position of the saw 5, which projects through a slot in a plate 13, said plate 13 being provided with lateral recesses in its edges through which set-screws 14: pass into said guide members 11 and 12, the heads of said set-screws bearing on said plate 13 and serving to clamp the same rigidly in position and adjust said plate relatively to said guide members. Said saw 5 is mounted upon a shaft 15, journaled in a bearing 16 on the frame 1 and carrying a pulley geared to a source of power. The said blocks 6 are provided in their ends with slots or recesses 17 to receive said saw and enable the latter to cut slots of requisite depth in said blanks, and to further determine the position of said blanks I provide a guard-plate 18 rearwardly of said sprocket-chain, between which and said plate 13 said blanks pass. The said saw 5 is revolved in a direction to cause it to cut said blanks in a direction opposite to their travel, and by reason of the depth of the slot cut by said saw the effect of the first contact of the saw with the blank will be to pull the latter forward until the forward end of same is in contact with the inner face of said plate 13 and remains in this position until it has passed said saw. The said saw 5 is arranged to simultaneously slot a number of pins at varying depths, so that it is never out of action, and to produce a flaring mouth on the slots cut said saw carries knives 19 inwardly of said teeth, which are bolted. to the saw at their free ends and project into openings 20 therein, the cutting edges of said knives being curved to impart the proper flare to the mouth of the slot. After passing said saw 5 and in passing over the sprocket-wheel 3 the said blocks 6 separate and drop the iinished pins. In order to prevent excessive friction on the sprocket-chain and blocks in passing between said guide members 11 and 12, 1 provide a recess 21 in the outer face of the former and mount therein a plate 22, which is held normally in contact with the sprocket-chain by means of springs 23, interposed behind the same, said plate 22 serving to force said sprocket-chain so that the outer faces of the latter are held in close contact with the guide member 12. In order to prevent clogging of said carrier by reason of loose splinters caught therein or by reason of blanks not entering the groove 7 in proper position, I sharpen the outer edges of said blocks 6 to form cutting edges which will cut splinters, ac. It also happens that the said blanks are not absolutely uniform and will vary slightly in size, so that if an unusually small blank should rest upon the guides 9 the next succeeding blank will project slightly from the chute 8 and into the path of the blocks 6. The cutting edges thereof will cut away such projecting portion. To further eject splinters, &c., 1 provide a sharp-edged member 24:, which is mounted on a guide member 25 of the frame and which consists, preferably, of a flat spring the free sharp edge of which projects into the path of the rounded outer faces of said blocks 6 and follows the contour of same as they enter between said guide member 25 and the guide member 26 after passing over the sprocketwheel 3 and serve to loosen and eject any projecting splinters.

My said machine is very simple and efficient and slots the blanks uniformly with great rapidity.

1 claim as my invention- 1. In a machine of the kind specified, the combination with a traveling carrier, and clamping devices carried thereby, of feeding devices for said carrier including a curved guide member adapted to consecutively receive and support blanks in the path of said clamping means and adapted to cause the same to be turned through an arc of substantially forty-live degrees to cause them to enter said clamping devices in proper relative position.

1 2. In a machine of the kind specified, the combination with a traveling carrier, clamping devices carried thereby, and slotting devices in the path of said clamping devices, of feeding devices including guide members adapted to consecutively receive pins and hold the same in the path of said clampingdevices to be engaged and moved thereby, said guide members being curved at their ends and adapted to cause said blanks to be turned through an arc of substantially forty-live degrees relatively to said clamping devices before being clamped thereby.

3. In a machine of the'kind specified, the combination with a traveling carrier, clamping devices carried thereby, and slotting devices located in the path of said clamping devices and adapted to slot blanks carried thereby, of means for guiding said carrier and clamping devices relatively to saidslotting devices, comprising two relatively adjustable guide-plates between which said carrier travels, and devices carried by one of said guideplates for yieldingly engaging said traveling carrier and holding same in traveling contact with the other guideplate.

1. In a machine of the kind specilied, the combination with a traveling carrier provided with clamping devices adapted to receive blanks to be slotted, and slotting devices located in the path of said blanks, of means for guiding said carrier relatively to said slotting devices comprising two relatively adjustable guide members disposed on either side of said slotting devices and between which said carrier is adapted to pass and be engaged to determine its path.

5. In a machine of the kind specified, the combination with a traveling carrier provided with clamping devices adapted to receive blanks to be slotted, and slotting devices located in the path of said blanks, of means for guiding said carrier relatively to said slotting devices comprising two relatively adjustable guide members disposed on either side of said slotting devices and between which said carrier is adapted to pass and means carried by one of said guide members for yieldingly engaging said carrier and holding same in traveling contact with the other guide member to determine its path.

6. In a machineof the kind specified, the combination with an endless traveling carrier, and clamping devices carried thereby comprising blocks secured to said carrier at regular intervals and adapted to lie in contact at their ends when said carrier travels in a straightline, and slotting devices located in the path of said blocks, each of said blocks being provided in its ends with V-shaped recesses adapted to receive square blanks and carry same diagonally to said slotting devices, of feeding devices including guide members adapted to receive and support blanks consecutively in the path of said blocks to be moved thereby, said guide members having curved end portions over which said blanks travel and are turned relatively to said blocks to enter said recesses therein in proper relative position.

7. In a machine of the kind specified, the combination with a sprocket-chain, a block carried by each link thereof and provided in its ends with V-shaped recesses, said blocks being adapted to meet at their recessed ends when said chain is traveling in a straight line and to separate when said chain passes over sprocket-wheels, slotting devices located in the path of said blocks and adapted to enter the recesses therein, of means for feeding rectangular blanks to be slotted to said blocks to be received in said V-shaped recesses and clamped between said blocks said feeding means ineluding devices for turning said blanks relatively to said blocks to enter said V-shaped recesses in proper relative position.

8. In a machine of the kind specified, the combination with a sprocket-chain and a block mounted on each link thereof, adjacent blocks forming jaws which are opened and closed in accordance with the travel of said chain in a curve or in a straight line, and V-shaped recesses in said jaws adapted to receive the blanks to be slotted, of knife-edges on the outer corners of said blocks adapted to cut projecting portions of blanks or splinters, and slotting devices located in the path of said blocks at one point.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREI/V SMITH.

Witnesses:

RUDOLPH WM. Lo'rz, E. F. WILSON. 

